Petite Abeille.

Unfortunately, our stay in the city was drawing to a close. Mic was leaving New York to head home to Hong Kong for the summer and from there, she would return to the United States to transfer to Indiana University. To celebrate this bittersweet moment, we had a going away dinner at one of our favorite little spots, Petite Abeille, which is situated right on the edge of the Gramercy neighborhood.

To start our meal off, we ordered two appetizers. Above is the Petite Abeille Crab Cake. It was a very light crab cake, the meat very tender and not chopped, with an excellent crispy crust. The saffron-aioli sauce was tangy, a French twist on tartar sauce, and it complemented the crab cake very well.

The other appetizer that we ordered was the Croquettes de Fromage. The gooey cheese in the middle wrapped in a lightly breaded crust was like a mozzarella stick for grown ups and sophisticated folks. It was simply luxurious.

Roomie, who was feeling dietary, ordered a Salade Mesclun, a salad of mixed seasonal greens, with balsamic vinegar dressing. This was nothing out of the ordinary.

Kitty wanted to try the Petite Salade de Betteraves et Fromage de Chevre, a roasted beets salad with goat cheese and watercress. She complained that it was small, but said that it tasted good.

H wanted to try the Petite Abeille, a cheeseburger with the restaurant's namesake. H was very unhappy about the size of the burger, but that's what you get at some of these higher end restaurants. He didn't complain about the taste, but was also unhappy about the price of the "tiny" burger.

Roomie also got Le Potage du Jour, the soup of the day, which was a chilled gespacho. He seemed indifferent to the soup, but he did say it was refreshing in the warming weather.

Squishy and I shared the Grand-Mère Moules, the steamed pei mussels in a cream beer sauce with essence of bacon. It came in a small pot and we ate out of the pot. The mussels were delicious and tender. The sauce was not as salty as I had expected it to be and it did not overpower the taste of the mussels. It was a well-balanced dish and wins great approval for me for presentation. I must go back there to try their other flavors.

The mussels come with a side of pommes frites, Belgian fries. These were probably some of the best french fries that I have ever eaten in my life. Period. They were so crisp, but were not dry on the inside. They were perfectly sized and had just the right amount of salt. I would go back to this restaurant just to have the fries! That's how good they were.

Dessert soon rolled by after a great meal and we indulged. I got the Crême Brulée. Though good, I actually think that the crême brulée from the Dessert Truck was better. This one was not creamy enough. Even though the taste was good, the texture was off this time.

Squishy got the Fondue de Fraises et Marshmellow au Chocolat, a chocolate fondue with marshmallows and strawberries. This was a fun dessert and it was well presented. The chocolate was warm and rich.

Last, but not least, was the Belgian waffle with chocolate sauce and whipped cream. Mic was in heaven while she was eating this. It was warm and fluffy and the chocolate was decadent.

Overall, the experience in this restaurant is great. The staff is very friendly and the service is excellent. The entries were generally delicious, though I would not stay at the place for dessert. I really liked the ambience in this restaurant. It has really great atmosphere and a great soundtrack playing.

Price: <3<3<

Taste: <3<3<3<3<

Atmosphere: <3<3<3<3<3

Opinion: Highly Recommended